'Town' Has No Surprises, Lots Of Cliches

At one time, Mary Higgins Clark's novels would send chills up your spine. Her latest, All Around the Town, is chilling but for a different reason: A big price ($22) for a book that gives little suspense or satisfaction.

In Town, Clark trots out murder-mystery cliche after cliche. A multiple-personality suspect. Her stalwart sister with a heart of gold. The radio evangelist with a heart of coal. A ''surprise'' ending.

Laurie Kenyon is kidnapped as a child for two years. After being returned to her family, she grows into a seemingly normal young woman who says little about the kidnapping. But she has developed multiple personalities to cope with her ordeal and its aftermath.

At college, one of her personalities is writing love letters to one of her professors. Soon, he is found murdered in his home. Laurie is arrested, and her sister Sarah, an assistant prosecutor, jumps to defend her. Sarah hires a doctor to work with Laurie and unlock the secrets in her head.

Throw into the mix evil Bic and Opal, the kidnappers, who have become quite successful. Bic has found the Lord - as his key to wealth. Of course, he can't forget Laurie and worries that she will remember her past and identify him as the kidnapper. Opal, his wife, was jealous of Laurie as a child and still is.

A serviceable plot. But Clark cranks it out in a bare-bones fashion with no surprises (for those who read this sort of stuff). Every move is predictable, each character a saint or sinner. Instead of a satisfying conclusion, what comes in the end is a question: Is that all there is?